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January 31, 2012

I can't believe we've been here nearly 2 months and I've yet to share anything with you about where we are. I suppose that's because unlike Dominica, Alton is not much different from most towns in America and I've been coming here at least once a year since I was just a little girl. Nonetheless, here's the 4-1-1 about where we're calling home for a couple more months.

This is: where we live, Alton, IL

You might hear us say St. Louis every now and again and get confused as to whether we're in Missouri or Illinois. Well, here's why...Alton is just about 20 min away from St. Louis on the other side of the Mississippi River. A town of just over 30,000 we seem to run into familiar faces everywhere.

This is: the Evangelical Church of Christ in Godfrey, IL

We come here for service on Sundays and it's also where I work, subbing a few days a week at the private school (Pre-K through 8th grade).

This is: where we eat breakfast after church on Sundays

Nothing fancy, just good ol' diner food. Added bonus...if we missed seeing someone at church, we'll probably run into them here for breakfast.

This is: Nana, our roommate

This young lady has been more generous than we could have ever imagined. She has helped us out more than she'll ever know and we'll never be able to thank her enough. She's also pretty funny and keeps us on our toes.

This is: Molly, our 4-legged and furry roommate

She's not a run around and play kind of dog, she's nearly 15, she's the sit here and look pretty kind of dog who is completely spoiled and pampered.

This is: Kyle's studying space

It was my Papa's old accounting office (hence the Glazebrook on the awning) and it's made for the perfect quiet escape for him to hit the books. It's also very close to the house which means coming home for lunch is a breeze.

Again, I apologize for the delay in the update about our whereabouts, but I hope this has satisfied your curiosity for now.

January 16, 2012

I've been doing more sewing, working my way through my online home-ec class as well as some other projects I've seen here and there and get inspired to try.

Most recently I made a felt "Happy Birthday" banner from my home-ec class. I have no idea when I'll use this but I figured everyone has birthdays so it will get hung up at some point.

My other project was a "love" pillow. Those of you who frequent Pinterest or etsy may have seen this before and well, you have. This is my DIY version of it and I'm just thrilled with how it turned out. I just couldn't see spending the $40 they wanted for theirs when I spent less than $10 on mine.

Here are the 2 pillows side by side. I normally don't like to be a copycat, but this pillow is just for us. Plus, when you're on a budget, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

January 12, 2012

One of my New Year's resolutions was to learn to sew. When I got a beautiful sewing machine and an online home-ec class for Christmas I had no excuses. Since the first of the year I have been a sewing fool. Many of the basics I picked up in my own 7th grade home-ec class came right back to me and I've been working my way through the list of projects in my online class.

Here's a peek at what I've made so far.

reversible quilted hot pads

a pencil case with a zipper

drawstring gift bags, large and small

a lined tote bag

an apron (this one I made from a pattern and boy was it a lot of work for this newbie)

January 11, 2012

Kyle and I have spent the past few days taking down, wrapping up, and putting away all the interior Christmas decorations at Nana's house. We invented a new word for this task...UNDECORATING. Luckily she hired a few men to take down the outside lights so we didn't have to worry about that. It was beautiful to look at, but the holidays are over and it's time for it all to go. Amazing how bare, yet clean, everything looks once it's all put away.

Here's one last look at the Christmas tree next to the fireplace in the den and the front of the house.